From the boardroom to the beauty salon and the halls of international diplomacy, Africa\u2019s creative pulse is beating faster than ever. This week, we are looking at a revolutionary Pan-African storytelling movement, a massive historic win for cultural heritage, and a glamorous luxury beauty collaboration shaking up the South African (SA) scene.<\/p>\n
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Grab a cup of rooibos or your beverage of choice, here is this week’s exclusive lifestyle round-up from reporter, Nhlanhla Mahlangu.<\/p>\n
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#NoWaiting: The new movement changing how the world sees Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Let’s face it: global media has a bad habit of flattening Africa into a single, exhausted stereotype. But a powerful new Pan-African movement called Opportunity Africa has officially launched in South Africa to rewrite that script completely.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Convened by the narrative changemakers at Africa No Filter and guided by a star-studded Creative Council of the continent\u2019s sharpest communicators and media experts, Opportunity Africa wants to build the largest platform dedicated to showcasing our real, everyday progress. Think booming tech startups, brilliant innovators, and bold creators.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is not just about vanity or feeling good, narratives have massive economic consequences. According to Africa No Filter\u2019s eye-opening Cost of Media Stereotypes report, negative biases and poor typecasting could be costing the continent up to $4.2 billion annually in inflated borrowing costs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “We want to change the way the world sees Africa,” says Grace Njeri, Development Director at Africa No Filter. “And more importantly, we want to change how we as Africans see ourselves, under the hashtag #NoWaiting.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A historic homecoming: Ghana to receive 2 000 looted artefacts<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In a monumental moment for cultural heritage, Ghana is set to welcome back around 2 000 looted historical treasures from the Netherlands and Germany. It stands as one of the largest cultural restitution efforts in West African history.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The announcement dropped at the Next Step conference on reparatory justice and restitution in Accra. In a poignant ceremony, the Dutch and German ambassadors presented Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama with a comprehensive catalogue of the items scheduled to return home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For decades, these priceless treasures, including highly sacred ceremonial objects and intricate traditional royal regalia, have sat behind glass in European museums or hidden away in private collections. While further consultations will take place before the physically phased handovers begin, this is a massive victory for the preservation of African history, by Africans, on African soil.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nthato Mashishi partners with Chinese luxury nail brand<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you know anything about SA glamour, you know the name Nthato Mashishi. The acclaimed celebrity make-up artist and hair stylist has officially levelled up his empire by partnering with MeiYu, a luxury handcrafted wearable nail art brand from China, which just made its glittering SA debut this week.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The exclusive launch, themed Where Brush Meets Horizon, brought together a stylish crowd of fashion insiders, retail moguls, diplomats, and media elites to celebrate a brand that treats wearable nails like collectible pieces of fine art.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Surprisingly, Mashishi admits he isn’t actually a nail tech. So, how did this powerhouse collaboration happen?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “You go on set in SA, and we’re not like our global counterparts where we’ll always have a dedicated nail technician on set,” Mashishi explains, noting that he spotted a massive gap in the market for instant, high-end luxury nails that look flawlessly handcrafted.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When asked about the secret behind his incredible staying power in a notoriously fickle industry, Mashishi\u2019s advice to the next generation is pure gold:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “I\u2019m a very versatile person. I\u2019m like an octopus, very multifaceted, but I\u2019m still stable at what I know for sure. I treat myself as a business person. I always tell young people coming into the industry; treat yourself as if it’s your first day all the time and learn as much as you can.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mashishi also attributes his longevity to investing in his own growth, frequently travelling the world to see how international industries operate and bringing those top-tier skills right back home to the continent.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n –ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":39285,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"featured-post":[367],"class_list":["post-39284","lifestyle-ent","type-lifestyle-ent","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","featured-post-artefacts","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lifestyle-ent\/39284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lifestyle-ent"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/lifestyle-ent"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"featured-post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured-post?post=39284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}